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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. A. BROWN.

SEAL FOR SEAL LOCKS.

No. 388,819. Patented Sept. 4,1888.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. A. BROWN.

SEAL FOR SEAL LOCKS.

No. 388,819. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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L. A. BROWN.

SEAL FOR SEAL LOOKS.

Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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LEWIS A. BROWN, OF ST. LoUIS, MISSOURI.

SEAL FOR SEAL-LOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,819, dated September 4, 1888.

Application filed April 21, 1858.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS A. BROWN, of St. Louis, Missouri, have made a new and useful Improvement; in Seals for Seal-Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This improvement when fully carried out consists, first, of a series of paper strips, the strips being numbered consecutively, and being made each in three parts detachable from each other. The first two of the three strip parts similarly bear the consecutive number of the seal as well as the series to which the consecutive number belongs. They also similarly bear the number of the station using the sea]. They also have spaces for receiving the car-marks and the date of the sealing of the ear. The third of the three strip parts bears the consecutive number, series-mark, and station-number,with the addition of the name of the road issuing the seal, and as a further identification this strip part may bear a signature which is common to all seals upon the present plan irrespective of the particular road using the seal. This seal part is also gummed to enable it to be secured to a frangible part used to shield the fastening of the seal-lock,of which the improvement, secondly, consists, and whose lockingbar is held by a fastening which is guarded by said frangible part, having the strip part applied to its inner side in such manner that the removal of the said guard shall work the destruction of the strip part immediately applied to it, but leaveintact the second of the strip parts,which in practice, when the third strip part is applied to the seal-lock guard, is folded behind the said third strip part, all substantially as is hereinafter set forth and claimed, aided by a reference to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the strips in book form, a lot of the first strip parts being shown as stubs, and the remaining portion of the book-leaves being composed of the entire strips united together as well as to the back of the book; Fig. 2, a view of one of the leaves of the book, a portion of one of the strips being removed; Fig. 3, a view of said removed portion; Fig. 4, a view in perspective of said removed portion, its parts being folded and the third part of the strip being Serial No. 271.474. (No model.)

presented; Fig. 5, a view in perspective of the frangible seal-plate; Fig. 6, aview in perspective of the parts shown in Fig. 4, the second part of the strip being presented; Fig. 7, a view in perspective showing the seal-strip applied to the seal-plate; Fig. 8, a face view ofthe seal-lock, and Fig. 9 a face view of the seallock having the seal in position.

The various views are upon various scales. The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

The strip in its entirety is shown at A, Figs. 1, and 2, and aa a representits three parts. The improvement aims to provide not only an improved seal mechanism, but also one especially adapted to railroad business. To this end provision is made for keeping a record of the seals.

The strip parts a form such a record, or, rather, the means for a record, and the strip parts a a which are originally attached to the part a, constitute that part of the strip which is inserted in the seal-lock. A desirable mode of operating is to bind the seals A into the form of a book, substantially as shown at B, Fig. 1. Each leaf b, Figs. 1 and 2, of the book may be composed of one or more strips. As shown,there are six strips to a leaf. The consecutive number of the seal is shown at O. Tbeseries of the consecutive numbers is shown at D. The number or mark of the railroadstation using the seal is at E.

F represents the name of the railroad issuing the seal. The space for entering the carnumber is at G, for entering the car-line is at H, and for entering the date of the sealing is at I.

The gumming of the strip part a is repre sented by the cross-line shading J, Figs. 1, 2, and 4. The separation of the strip part a from the strip part a is facilitated by the line of perforations K of the parts a a of one strip A from the parts a a of the next strip A by the line of perforations L, and of the strip part a from the seal part a" by the line of perforations M.

The procedure is as follows: The stationagent is charged with the strips delivered to him, and whatever strips he receives he must account for, either in the original form or in the form of the strip parts a, bearing, respectively, the data of the cars upon which they have been used. As a strip is used the agent enters upon both of the strip parts a and a", and in the spaces G H I, respectively, the number of the car upon which the seal is used,the line to which it belongs, and the date of the sealing. The strip part a is retained by the agent, and in practice it becomes a stub in his book B, substantially as is indicated in Fig. 1. The strip parts a" a, and as one piece, as indicated in Fig. 3, are detached from the strip part a, folded, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 6, and then attached to the frangible seal-plate N, as indicated in Fig. 7, by moistening the gummed surface of the strip part a and cansing it to adhere to the rear side of the sealplate N, which in practice is a plate of glass, such material being desirable, because it cannot well be removed from its position in the seal-lock 0 without breaking, because it is transparent,enabling the inscription upon the strip part a" to be read, and became it is easily procurable. When the strip part a" is thus applied to theseal plateN,theseal-plate cannot be broken without also breaking the strip part a; but the strip part a", which, when the strip part a is in position in the seal-lock is behind the strip part a, but loose, so as not to adhere thereto, is not injured by the breaking of the sealplate, and hence when the seal-lock is opened the strip part a can be taken from the seal-lock by the agent opening the car, and by him transmitted to the proper office of the railroad for comparison with the strip part a, which is ultimately recovered from the agent who sealed the car. \Vhen the seal plate hearing the strip parts a e is inserted in the holder P of the seal-lock, the holder 1 is slipped from its position of Fig. 8 into its position of Fig. 9,in which position the consecutive number or mark and the series-mark are concealed from view; hence, even were it attempted to connterfeit the inscription upon the strip part, it would be practically impossibleto know from an outside view of the seal in the lock what consecutive number and series-mark to place upon the counterfeit. So far as the combination of the seal lock 0, the scalplate holder Rand the seal-plate N is concerned,it has been substantially shown in seal-locks upon which applications for patents are now pending, and hence no claim is herelaid to it, nor is any description of its working needed, beyond the statement that when the seal-holder is in the position of Fig. 9 the fastening which holds the seal holder in that position cannot be reached without practically destroying the seal-plate and strip part a". It is, however, thought to be novel to combine the data-bearing strip part a with the strip part aisubstantially in the manner described, and, further, to combine with such scal-stripa a" and seal-lock the strip part a, as thereby not only is it, as stat ed, made impracticable for one to anticipate the inscription upon the seal, but in addition thereto a record of the sealing operation is kept.

I desire not to be restricted to the particular data or inscriptions here shown upon the strip parts, as it can be widely varied without departing from the prin iple of the improve ment. The particular form of seallock here shown is also not wholly essential. I do,however, consider the special forms described the best to employ.

The parts a and a, can be advantageously used in said seal-lock without the part a. The signature upon the seal part a is indicated at Q, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 7, and t).

I claim 1. The combination of the seal-plate and the strip parts a a, as and for the purpose de scribed.

2. The combination of the seal'lock having the seal-plate with the three-part strip, said strip consisting of the three parts a a a and said strip parts a c a bearing the same consecutive number or mark or series-mark, substantially as and for the purpose described.

\Vitness my hand this 17th day of April, 1888.

LFAVIS A. BltOW'N.

XV it n esses:

G. D. MOODY, JAS. XV. ALLEN. 

